Music Is My Weapon

No, Owen Pallett doesn't have some kind of obsession with crap, at least not the physical kind. I recently ran into him at the Haldern Pop Spiegelzelt tour, where he did his magic on stage with nothing but a violin, looping pedal, and microphone. Oh, and the colorful and painfully beautiful art show presented by his friend, Steph, on an overhead projector. As if watching Owen perform on stage wasn't entertaining enough. He filled me in on the music scene in Toronto, summed up by one phrase: interesting crap. Which he pretty much feels is the savior of all things music and makes the scene in Toronto the "best in the world."

Owen's played with a few Canadian bands in the past, most notably Picastro and Arcade Fire (FFO, give "Many Lives --> 49 MP" a listen), but his latest project is very nearly solo - and goes by the title Final Fantasy. Questions about the name choice are rampant, but needless to say Owen doesn't have a video game fetish. He does, however, manage to make one violin sound like a legion of sound, looping one melody over another, the occasional piano thrown in on songs like "This Lamb Sells Condos". On his latest release, He Poos Clouds (Blocks/Tomlab), Owen recruits the talents of a small band of friends, bringing viola, violincello, trombone, accordion, harpsichord, bass, and percussion to round a performance to remind you of the magic of 16th century pages or fables starring wood nymphs and river imps ("If I Were a Carp" could accompany such an adventure). Sweet melodies plead for attention on "I"m Afraid of Japan," with some of the most delicate lyrics on the record, while "Song, Song, Song" gives a percussive boom that easily makes it one of the most recognizable.

Owen's goals for the record were (from Tomlab):

1. A set of songs that attempt to modernize each of the eight D&D schools of magic
2. Every song will be written for string quartet and voice
3. Nobody who listens to it will ever again entertain thoughts of suicide.

This is pop music for those who enjoy a little more musical talent than singing about the dance floor and "checking up on it" - although Owen feels those without musical training sometimes make the best musicians. After all, crap is wonderful.